Dental practitioners have been aware for years that the repeated touching of the dental syringe by gloved or ungloved hands after a dental practitioner's, or the hygienist's hands have been in or around the mouths of several different patients without sterilization can bring about the spread of contagious diseases. Such contagious or communicable diseases are borne in or on the body fluids and/or tissues which become attached to the exterior surfaces of the syringe or of the gloved or ungloved hands of the dental practitioner or hygienist and are transmitted to the syringe through contact. More recently the spread of the Hepatitus virus and the Acquired Immune Deficiency virus have caused great concern for dental practitioners, hygienists and other dental office staff, not only for their patients, but also for their own health and well-being.
Both the Hepatitus virus and the Acquired Immune Deficiency virus can be carried in or on body fluids and/or tissues. In the environment in which dental practitioners and hygienists work, i.e. inside the mouth, body fluids such as saliva, blood, etc. and the tissues comprising the gum and portions of the teeth, the pulp and root, may potentially transmit the virus through contact. The process of cleaning and/or repairing teeth by filing caries or performing a root canal procedure requires the drilling of the teeth and the subsequent scattering of tissue particles and body fluids about the mouth. Some of those particles and/or fluids become attached or adhere to the surfaces of the syringe and to the gloved or ungloved hand of the dental practitioner or hygienist. Cleaning and sterilizing the syringe between patients has been a serious problem for dental practitioners and hygienists because of their construction and lack of ease in removing and remounting.
During the dental procedures ranging from filling caries to cleaning teeth, the syringe is continually used to expel or dislodge tissue particles from, and to rinse the work area in the interior of the patient's mouth by introducing a stream or spray of water to the area. The syringe may be inserted into the patient's mouth to direct its stream or spray to a particularly difficult to reach work area. When so inserted, the backsplash of tissue particles and/or body fluids may become attached to the surfaces of the syringe. Anything the syringe may have come into contact with while in the patient's mouth can be transmitted to others by mere contact with the syringe. Little has been done to improve the level of sterilization for syringes used in the dental operatory.
The dental syringe, however, is not usually thought of as a disease transmission device. It is usually cleaned by wiping down with a disinfectant liquid or spray, but not sterilized. The sterilization of a dental syringe, which could fit in a large sterilization chamber, requires the disassembly of the syringe from its connecting tubes and cables and the remounting after sterilization. As a stopgap measure, the dental syringe has been sprayed with a disinfecting agent but such practice does not reduce or eliminate bacteria or virus forms on the syringe. This spraying may be performed between successive patients, but usually does not occur more than possibly once or twice a day. Thus, disinfecting of the dental syringe does not normally occur between each patient and certainly does not occur between either interior mouth contact or hand contact with the syringe by the dental practitioner, hygienist or other staff members during the performing of dental procedures on a patient.
In recent years dental practitioners have become increasingly aware of the rapid spread of communicable diseases through contact with body fluids and tissues such as may be dislodged and/or become attached to the surfaces of the syringe or to the gloved or ungloved hands of the dental practitioner or hygienist during procedures in the mouth of a patient. In fact, dental practitioners, along with dental hygienists, have been cautioned to protect themselves from infection by using sterile gloves and masks and to use protective glasses when practicing dentistry or other dental procedures on their patients. Very recently the rapid spread of the Hepatitus virus and the Acquired Immune Deficiency virus has caused significant concern among dental practitioners and hygienists. The American Dental Association and other professional organizations have strongly urged that dental practitioners and hygienists take additional steps to decrease the chance of spreading the disease through the use of non-sterile implements.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a sterile protective covering or shield for the dental syringe to significantly reduce or prevent the spread of contagious, communicable diseases.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a shield which is disposable after a single use and which is easily applied and removed so that it will have wide-spread acceptance in the dental professions.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a shield with a backsplash collar to prevent particulate matter, e.g. tissues or body fluids, from splashing out of the mouth of the patient during rinsing of work areas.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a shield which is sufficiently elastic, yet tear resistant, and which is capable of covering the entirety of a variety of differently shaped dental syringes.
Other objects will appear hereinafter.